Dutch forward commits to Siena

Holderness (N.H.) forward Willem Brandwijk, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound native of the Netherlands, has given his oral commitment to play for Siena next season, a source confirmed tonight.

ESPN recruiting analyst Adam Finkelstein first reported the news.

Brandwijk had visited Siena, Vermont and Elon in the past few weeks.

He attended the same prep school as current Siena center Imoh Silas.

Brandwijk is allowed to sign a binding national letter of intent beginning on April 16 and ending May 21. By NCAA rule, the Siena coaching staff isn’t allowed to comment on Brandwijk until he is signed.

He would be Siena’s third commitment for the 2014-15 season to go with Cape Henry (Va.) guard/forward Jimmy Paige and Raleigh (N.C.) guard Cameron Gottfried, who could join as a walk-on.

Siena only has one scholarship available under the NCAA limit of 13. That scholarship is opening because junior forward Marcus Hopper is transferring. That would mean head coach Jimmy Patsos expects at least one more current player to leave on a team that has no seniors on scholarship.

Mark Singelais

18 Responses

Thats great news to hear. The kids You-Tube videos look solid. Very similar in athleticism and shooting range and ability to dirve to the hoop as Bisbing. Having another Bisbing would be a great addition; especially if he has some more jumps than Brett as it appears he may. he also appears to be pretty strong and solidly built as a freshmen coming in which is nice.

Michael Wolfe better start working hard to make the big leap he will need to make between his freshmen and sophomore year. Otherwise he still may be seeing the bench next year as well. He has all the atletic and offensive upsides to being a great player. Just not sure if he has the toughness and drive and confidence and focus to be that chiseled agressive type player he needs to become in order to ocmpete on the front lines of the MAAC and beyond. Right now he is a boy among men and he has to become a man among boys.

If I could suggest one thing from Wolfe, if nothing else in his game develops, make a point of it to watch as much film of a specific teammate as you can,and then ask that same teammate for day in and day out help from this same teammate this summer in a mentoring type of way to be tough on you every day so you can become the agressive weakside shot blocker that he has become and that you can come to be being.

Thats right. Spend as much time with Imoh Silas this off season as you can, and if nothing else, get that part of the game down from him. If you do, you will help your self out in the other parts of your game, but from that one point alone, it will find you time out on the court; guaranteed!

The more I watch other guys in major college hoop and then watch him, the more I realize how good he is in that part of the game of weakside help shot blocking and altering shots and making guys think he is coming so they are thinking of that when shooting. He has a very good sense for it where many guys his size or bigger just do not or will not; dare to go up like he does behind teammates who also may be going up; even at the power conference level.

I really believe if he was a 7 footer on that attribute alone, he just might make the NBA? He is that good. So go watch film and more film and more film and ask him for help and more help and more help and come next year, hopefully your toughness and agressiveness will show in every aspect of your game, not just weakside help.

Siena fan….does every post of yours have to drone on and on and on? I’m starting to wish the TU would put a limit on characters in a post. It seems like you are more concerned about trying to show your knowledge of basketball than making a point. As for your point about Wolf, maybe he is the one leaving that will open up a scholarship? I agree that would be a loss, because he does have potential, but maybe he has already told coach he is leaving, which would explain why he doesn’t get as much PT as the fans think he should?

I certainly hope any player leaving is doing so of his own free will. Iowa fans often refer to ‘creaning’ which is withdrawing scholarships of still eligible players in favor of more desirable new recruits. The term is derisively used in reference to Indiana’s head basketball coach Tom Crean. It is unclear to me if creaning is simply morally questionable but permissible. Even if the scholarship cannot be withdrawn without cause, seems to me there is a fine line between honestly telling a team member where his future lies and pressuring him to leave. To be clear, I am NOT saying this is going on at Siena and have absolutely no reason to think it ever would. Just bringing up a point.

Welcome to Siena Willem!
Big guys recruited at this level always have parts of their game they need to work on coming in as freshmen. They also need to hit the weight room. If they have the coaching and commitment, they can get it done. Case in point: Brett Bisping.
In Jimmy I trust.

only one needs to go supposedly. Wolf got more playing time than Adu, and Adu if memory serves correctly actually got m ore time than Oliver last year. Wolf has been credited with being the most athletic on team. If the young man has any intelligence he knows his time is limited to his physical abilities which normally changes between freshman sophomore year in school.

Folks also need to realize that Evan Hymes is scheduled to graduate this May. No word has come out about if he’s going to stay for his Masters. With Cole coming into the roster next year that could push Evan back into the depth chart.

Hymes says he’s staying which I’d think is a good thing for Siena even if he does play a bit less. There is little doubt that Evan has been more valuable-or at least played a more effective role-than he did last year. Last season he played a pressured, jerky game figuring he had to score 30 to give the team any chance of winning. This year under Patsos he’s learned how he can become an effective weapon on a better team.